Future Olympic Sailors To Compete On Dublin Bay

420 Junior European Championship

80 sailors from 16 nations will compete in the Liffey Developments 420 Junior European Championships on Dublin Bay to be hosted by the Royal St. George Yacht Club.

The class is one of the most competitive youth fleets in Europe and is a stepping-stone to full Olympic level competition.

There will be six days of racing on Dublin Bay with six races scheduled to determine the splits for Gold and Silver divisions. A further 11 races will be sailed with the championship decided on the total points scored for the combined event.

"This event is crucial for the development of our best youth talent against similar up and coming sailors from Europe," said Don O'Dowd, Event Chairman. "Not only will these sailors experience a large competitive fleet, younger crews which have yet to progress to the 420 will be motivated to the next level of development."

"The 420 is the only three-sail youth boat in the Irish Sailing Association's Performance Pathway. As most people spend their life in crewed boats, its very important that we have a strong double-handed youth class in Ireland," said Bill O'Hara, ISA Youth Performance Manager and double-Olympic veteran.

"Having the Liffey Developments 420 Junior Europeans in this country allows us to have a double-team which means more young Irish sailors get international experience."

The overall event sponsor is Liffey Developments with day sponsors Hamilton Osborne King, Century Homes, RPS Group and the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company. The Royal St. George Yacht Club gratefully acknowledges the support of the Irish Sports Council and the Irish Sailing Association.

Full results will be available on the event website at the address below when sailing commences.